Lime-cement container



8, 1936- G. C. WOODRUFF 1 I 2,063,650

LIME CEMENT CONTAINER Filed Nov. 25, 1-951 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 1936-v G. c. WOODRUFF LIME CEMENT CONTAINER I Filed Nov. 25, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 8, 1936. G. c. WOODRUFF LIME CEMENT CONTAINER Filed Nov. 25, 1931 7 Shets-Sheet 3 1936- G. c. WOODRUFF LIME CEMENT CONTAINER Filed Nov. 23. 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 1936- G. c. WOODRUFF 2,063,650

LIME CEMENT CONTAINER Filed Nov. 23, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 gwoento o Dec. 8, 1936: G. c. WOODRUFF LI ME CEMENT CONTAINER v.

7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Nov. 23, 1931 Dec. 8, 1936. G. c. WOODRUFF LIME CEMENT CONTAINER 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Fil ed Nov. 23, 1931 gwuwntov Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES LIME-CEMENT CONTAINER Graham 0. Woodruff, Bronxville, Y., assignor to The L. G. L. Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application November 23, 1931, Serial No. 576,925 g 2 Claims.

While I will, for the purposes of illustrating my invention, describe it as being particularly adapted for the shipment of lime and cement in bulk, it will, of course be understood that the use of my improved container is not limited to these particular commodities.

As is well known, cement, prior to my invention, was shipped in bags and each individual bag had to be handled both in loading and unloading on railroad cars and other transportation vehicles, all of which increased the cost of the product. Lime is usually shipped in barrels or in bulk in box cars, requiring considerable handling in loading and unloading, which, likewise, increased the cost of the commodity. In both of these methods of shipment there was no real protection against the elements for the commodity because moisture would penetrate the bags, and in the case of box cars a leak in any portion of the car would affect the lime in that particular zone, and this effect would in many instances be straight throughout the entire area of the box car and result in a loss of the shipment.

The object of my invention is to provide a container, preferably of less than car load lots size, for the shipment of lime and cement in bulk whereby the entire contents of the container could be handled at one operation, and whereby the commodity would be fully protected against the elements. In instances of large buildings, it is possible by my invention to load the container at the point of shipment and ship the container with its load intact to the point of destination and raise the container by a crane, or other means, to the point in the building under construction and deposit the entire contents at the actual point of consumption in the building, thus eliminating a large amount of manual labor.

, Another advantage of shipping cement and lime in bulk is that the percentage of loss in shipment is materially reduced.

With -these and other objects in view, my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved container.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the same.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the container.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the container on the line 44, Figure 3.

Figure 4A is an enlarged detail sectional view.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the lower corner tainer. I

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the door stiffener extensions.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail vertical longi. tudinal sectional View through the hatch and hatch door of the container.

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line Figure5.. V I V I Figure 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view. Figure 10 is an enlarged detailsectional view of the container and door showing the .door

stiffener extensions. 7 V 1 Figure 11 is an enlarged detail sectional View of the corner construction of the container..

The vertical Walls of the container are preferably made from sheet steel, the side walls 12 being provided with vertically extending corrugations l3 which rigidify and strengthen the walls, the lower portion of the sheet being provided with a horizontally; disposed corrugation N. If desired the side walls of the container may be provided With-guide shoes 15 which slidably interlock with corresponding guides secured to the side walls of gondola cars whereby the con-' tainers are held against shifting on the car, and whereby one or more containers maybe removed from the car without impairing the stability of the other compartments on the car.

The end sheets, or walls, [G are provided with vertically disposed corrugations or rigidifying elements ll of varying lengths. 1

As shownin Figure 11 the side and end wall sheets are overlapped at the corners and I connect them by means of an inner post l8 'andan outer post I9, all being suitably secured together by means of 'the rivets 2b..

Theroof 2| of the container may be of any approved construction and type andis provided with a hatch way 2| (see Figure '7) and on each portions of the conl side of the hatch way ,I provide a channel or other rigidi'fying iron. 22,.-the flanges of which project downwardly into the container. This hatch way is further reinforced by angle irons 23 suitably secured. A hatch door 24 having a downwardly extending flange 25 around its perimeter is provided with rigidifying beams 26 to one end of which a hinge member 21 is suitably secured, the other hinge member 2'! being secured to the roof 2!] and channel beam 22, as shown in Figure '7. It will be noted that the hinge joint and members are spaced rearwardly from the in Wardly turned flange 25 of the door. At the free end of the door I provide a locking member 28 adapted to engage the screw thread fastening bolt 29 which is pivotally mounted at 30 on the car roof whereby the door may be securely sealed in position on the container. It will be seen from Figure 2 that I provide the door with two of the beams 26.

The container is provided with lifting links 3| at each corner.

The lower end of the container is provided with a pair of doors 32 each having depending flanges 33 around its perimeter, as clearly shown in Figure 5. These doors are provided with reinforcing angle bars 34 secured to a door sheet within the flange 33, each end of the reinforcing bars 34 being provided with an extension 35, which extension extends out under the door flange, as shown in Figure 4A. These doors must flt accurately yet operate freely, proper clearances being provided for that purpose. The door is provided with a hinge member 36 secured to its underface and within the depending flange 33 and materially above the lower edge of the flange 33, which hinge member is secured to another hinge member 31 secured to the side sill 38, the upper end of which member 3'! extends within the flange 33 of the door to a point near the underface of the door sheet whereby this hinge joint is protected against the elements and leakage.

I secure a sloping lading deflector 39 within the container on all four sides thereof just above the top surface of the drop doors, the deflectors being secured to the side sills 38 of the container base and to the side sheets of the container body, and are preferably mitered at their ends for connection at corners of containers, the connection being preferably welded. These deflectors not only function to deflect the lading toward the door opening, but, as seen in Figure 5, they function as a hood or guard sill, cooperating with the top surface of the door to prevent leakage of the lading, and also prevent entrance of moisture into the container. It will be seen from Figure 5 that the end sills elevate the doors of the container materially above the surface on which the container rests whereby the doors are prevented from coming into contact with any wet surface on which the container may be deposited, thus protecting the lading.

Suitable chains 40 are connected at their lower ends to the extensions of the door stiffeners, said chains being connected at their upper ends to a common plate which, in turn, is connected to the lifting chain 4| having a suitable ring 42 adapted to be engaged by a suitable source of lifting power, said chains 4| passing up through an opening 43 in the roof of the container.

To completely enclose the door operating chains, so as to prevent their contact with the lading, as well as prevent the entrance of moisture into container a U-shaped chain housing 44 is suitably secured to each interior face of the end wall of the container, and these housings extend from the underside of the roof sheet downward past the end of each door to the end sill. These housings are clearly seen in Figures 4, 4A and 5. It will be noted from Figure 5 that the lower portion of the chain housings are flared to accommodate spread of the chains 40 to their respective doors. The joint between the top of the chain housing and the roof of the container is closed preferably by welding, or some other approved method of sealing the joint against moisture may be employed. The deflectors 39, as shown in Figure 4A, are extended around the chain housing.

At any chain hole, or opening, 43 and to one side thereof I provide a drop door chain fastener 44, the vertical leg of which is provided with a vertical slot 45 which is wide enough to engage and hold the drop door chain when the doors are in closed position, and I also provide on the roof of the container a support 46 adapted to support the hatch door when in open position. The chain fasteners 44 also function to support the hatch door when it is in open position.

While I have shown and described my preferred construction, it is, of course, understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a drop bottom discharge container side and end sills secured to the bottom of the container and constituting extensions of the walls of the container, a hinge member secured to the end sills with its operative end materially above the lower edge of the end sill, a door having a depending marginal flange and hinged to said hinge member at its underside within the space bounded by the flange, said door being positioned when closed in a. plane materially above the lower edge of the end sill, a deflector extending outwardly from the walls of the container over the joint between the flanged edge of the door and container to prevent the loss of lading through said joints, a member secured to the underside of the door and projecting outwardly beyond said flange, and door closing and locking means secured to said member.

2. In a shipping container designed to discharge through its bottom, drop doors secured to the bottom of the container locking means for holding the doors in closed position and permitting them to open, a housing within the container completely housing said means within the container and open at both ends, the lower open end extending below the said doors, whereby moisture in said housing will be discharged through its lower open end outside of the containers, stiffeners extending transversely of said doors having extensions extending beyond the edges of the doors to a point under the lower open ends of said housings, said locking means being secured to said extensions.

GRAHAM C. WOODRUFF. 

